Chennai: Union minister for women and child development Maneka Gandhi who had earlier criticised her Cabinet colleague Prakash Javadekar for “frivolously granting permission to kill innocent animals” has trained her guns on the BJP leaders in Tamil Nadu. She contended that the party had more important things to do rather than garner votes through jallikattu.
“We should not try to get votes through jallikattu. There are many important things for the BJP to do… It’s a terrible festival and BJP got many important works to do… We should look to promote good things here,” she said in an informal chat with reporters at the airport here on Monday.
Both the Union minister of state for road transport, highways and shipping Pon Radhakrishnan, who hails from Kanyakumari district, and party’s state president Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan have been very keen on facilitating the jallikattu from Pongal 2017. Mr Radhakrishnan had even got Mr Javadekar to pave way for the conduct of the popular bull taming sport of Tamil Nadu.
Hailing the passage of the maternity Bill in the Rajya Sabha, Ms. Maneka Gandhi exuded the hope that it would sail through the Lok Sabha in the next session of Parliament. “I wish the Lok Sabha had been there for one more day (then) we would have got it done. But I am very hopeful it will come through in November,” she said.
The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill 2016, which was moved for consideration and passage by Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, was passed by a voice vote. It seeks to increase maternity benefit from 12 to 26 weeks for two surviving children that would benefit about 1.8 million women in the organised sector.
